American voters would most like to share a Memorial Day barbecue burger with Sen. Barack
Obama of Illinois and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to a Quinnipiac
University national poll released today.

And, by a 48 - 40 percent margin, Americans would prefer that a president follow the
wishes of the American people even if that conflicts with what he or she believes is the right thing
to do, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll found.

Of the four leading presidential candidates in each party, American voters would most like
to hang out at a Memorial Day picnic with:

Republicans:

o Rudolph Giuliani - 37 percent;

o Arizona Sen. John McCain - 27 percent;

o Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson - 16 percent;

o Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney - 6 percent.

Democrats:

o Barack Obama - 33 percent;

o New York Sen. Hillary Clinton - 24 percent;

o Former Vice President Al Gore - 16 percent;

o 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards - 16 percent.

"Americans want a president with whom they feel comfortable," said Peter Brown,
assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"At this point, they envision Mayor Giuliani and Sen. Obama as either the most
interesting, most approachable or perhaps the ones about which the most people are curious - or
just the best guys to hang out with."

All voters were asked to choose first among the four Democrats, then among the four
Republicans.

Giuliani is the preferred picnic partner of 41 percent of Republicans, 31 percent of
Democrats and 35 percent of independent voters.

Obama is the choice of 37 percent of Republicans, 24 percent of Democrats and 34
percent of independent voters.

President Who Leads or Listens

On the question of whether a president should do what he/she thinks is right, or whether
the president should follow the will of the people, Republicans prefer 62 - 30 percent that a
president does what he/she thinks is right, while Democrats say 62 - 27 percent that the president
should listen to the people. Independent voters say 50 - 35 percent that the president should do
what voters think is right.

"The results are not surprising given the public unhappiness with President Bush's
handling of the war in Iraq and his refusal to bring home the troops despite clear public opinion
preferring that be the case. Historically, however, Americans have been prone to elect presidents
they consider strong leaders who might not always see things as do they, such as Ronald Reagan.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next 18 months," Brown said.

From April 25 - May 1, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,166 American voters with a
margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent, including 469 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 4.5
percent, and 499 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and
nationwide as a public service and for research.

For more data -- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x271.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.

30. Which type of President would you prefer -
A) A President who does what they think is right, even if it disagrees with the
views of the voters.
B) A President who does what the voters think is right, even if it disagrees with
their views.